Confessions of a second-time-around chick mom

They arrived in their small box, peeping away, and I was already in a different place than I had been a year ago, when I had anticipated the arrival of my first-ever 15 baby chicks with much excitement.  This time, instead of having their brooder prepared and set up, and all of the accoutrements that they would need in place, I had done nothing!  I knew, at the back of my mind that they were coming the first week of April, but it had never actually registered that it WAS the first week of April until I received the email that they were on their way.

Oh shit.  I tracked them and realized that they very well could arrive THAT day, and I had done nothing in preparation.  I ran around looking for a box to put them in, because of course I did not neatly stow away all chick-shit in an easy and convenient place.  The feeders were mired deep in frozen mud in the run because you know, I should have picked them up months earlier, but never got around to it, then snow buried them ... there was always time.  So there I was kicking at them to loosen them from their deep earth home, wondering how I was so irresponsible!  Then I went to every place, high and low in this rather large house and garage and cellars, looking for the dog cages.  Where did they go?  Did Peter get rid of them?  I jumped into the car to go to Concord to get food, because the food that I had stored away in the green house had been chomped by mice over the winter.  Bag was empty.  I mean, really?

Several hours later I had a temporary set-up in place, as the dog cages were still hiding and Peter said he wasn't sure where they were, and the call came shortly thereafter that they were on their way.  This time the post office delivered them to my door, how nice!  I opened the box and quickly saw one was not in a good way, and while I attempted to show the more livelier ones how to drink water, I picked up the limp form and realized that its eyes weren't open.  I put them in their small box under a heat lamp and ran to the computer to see what to do.  The information I was reading didn't look promising, and within several hours the little thing went through death throes, literally, started rolling around and gasping, and then it died.  Well, that was pleasant, I thought to myself, as I scooped it out of the box and wondered what the heck to do with it.

I didn't want to handle the surviving four chicks much, as who knew if they were all going to die as well, and so I just listened to them peeping loudly for hours and asked myself more than once WHAT WAS I THINKING?!!!

Okay, here is what I was thinking.  Last year I did loads and tons of research on chickens.  I am a bit of a chicken expert at this point, like it or not, and the best way to keep a flock laying is to constantly add to it every year.  I had ordered the five new chicks in the winter, because I wanted the easter eggers, which are wildly popular and sell out immediately because they have a wonderful temperament and they lay green and blue eggs.  Who wouldn't want such variety in their flock!  But after I put in the order, sometime in December, I pretty much forgot about them as I had crucial matters such as keeping the water from freezing in the coop for the existing flock.  What I failed to do is come to the realization that you can't take a bunch of baby chickens and throw them in with an existing adult flock.  It seems so obvious, and yet, no, I did not take that into consideration when ordering them.  Thank heavens they aren't elephants!  And having four baby chicks versus 16 is like night and day, and I will always keep new additions to a minimum because it is so much easier.

But I just don't have the time for them, poor second child chicks!  I was hell bent on socializing my first flock, and I was wildly successful.  When I go outside they come running for me with utter joy!  MOM!  But this morning I tried to "play" with one of them, and the bunch scurried to the back of the cage and clearly felt in danger.  No MOM! here, but danger danger Will Robinson.  I grasped one gently and attempted to pet her, but she wanted OUT and was screeching and struggling in my hold.  Geesh.  I put her back and closed the cage door and told them fine, you know what?  I don't care if you are socialized.  There is no way I was handling 16 chicks on a daily basis, and they turned out all right, and I walked away.  To the computer, to tell on them!

 

If I am a failure as a second-time-around chicken mother, then so be it!  The little problem I created by ordering chicks without a plan?  We need ANOTHER COOP!  There is no way these little guys will be the same size as the adult chickens for months!  And there is no way they are staying in the house for months, because they are already starting to smell.  (Another thing I forgot ... farm animals in your dining room is a temporary measure!)  They have already begun flying, with their teeny little wings, and another time when I opened up the door to change their water, one saw the opening and flew right at my face.  Yikes.  It will be interesting to see whether these new guys will come running to me, instead of cowering in the corner ... but the truth of the matter is, I don't care and will not take it personally, for they are, after all, BIRDS!

Here chicky chicky!!!!!